


things don't have to stay bad

by trappedoutside124



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Reunions, Soft hotchner, everyone is happy again, kind of???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:22:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27835210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappedoutside124/pseuds/trappedoutside124
Summary: AU where Foyet doesn't win, and a marriage is saved. Spoilers for season five episode 9, "100."
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Haley Hotchner
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	things don't have to stay bad

**Author's Note:**

> Because Haley and Hotchner deserved a happy ending.

Aaron Hotchner screeched to a stop in front of his old home, heart pounding wildly. There were two things on his mind: find his family, and kill George Foyet. Only a minute ago the ringing of a gunshot had sent his heart into his throat and his phone into the dashboard. He knew Foyet's profile, his preferences, his determination. He just didn't know how bad the scene would be when he arrived. 

But he had to be hopeful. And he had to move quickly. 

He put the car in park and didn't bother taking the keys with him, leaving the door wide open as he sprinted across the lawn. He drew his gun, and opened the door. The house was silent and still. 

This was the house they had bought right after Aaron got assigned to the BAU. They had saved up enough money to buy the quaint white house with the gated driveway and the lush tree in the front yard. "It's perfect for a swing, you know? Once we have kids you can put one up for them," Haley had said when they were moving in boxes. "Or maybe even a tree house!" 

Aaron had laughed and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Listen, I'm a federal agent, not a carpenter. We can hire someone for that." Haley just laughed in response. Later, when Haley found out she was pregnant with Jack, Aaron bought a tool kit and surprised her with it, promising that he'd get a treehouse built in no time. 

He never built one. 

Hotchner crept through the kitchen, heart pounding in his ears. He made his way into the living room and prayed to God he didn't see a body. How many times had he done this? How many times had he rushed into a house knowing that a maniac was inside, not feeling a twinge of fear? This time, he had so much adrenaline running through his veins that he was buzzing. Jack's toys were strewn across the floor, including the chess set that Aaron bought him for his first Christmas. 

"Really, Aaron? A chess set? He's not even one yet!" Haley laughed. "Shouldn't we be getting him stuffed animals and colored blocks?" 

"Listen, it's never to early to learn. It's a great game for stimulating the mind!" Hotchner said back, handing baby Jack one of the pieces to hold. 

"Oh, so you're already training him to be a smart FBI agent like yourself? 

Hotchner shook his head, smile fading slightly. "No, I want him to be better than me." 

That was one of the last holidays where they were all a happy family. After that, the tension between the couple had only grown until their inevitable divorce a barely three years later. He still wanted Jack to be a better man than his father. And if Foyet had laid a hand on his son, Hotchner would skin him alive. 

Clearing the living room, Hotchner turned off his flashlight and began moving slowly up the stairs. Unless Foyet had fled with Jack, then they had to be upstairs. He couldn't feel anything except his heartbeat and the feeling of his finger on the trigger of the gun. But dying from just a gunshot was too good, too easy for Foyet. If Hotchner found him alive, he was going to beat the living hell out of him. He was going to make the Reaper regret toying with his family. 

At the top of the stairs, he turned towards the bedroom he and Haley had once shared. Now, it resembled more of a guest room. Old pictures of the couple that had decorated the walls were nowhere to be seen. The bookcases where Hotchner kept countless victimology and profiling textbooks were replaced with children's books of all sorts. All traces of Hotchner had been erased from the room; that is, except for the black paperweight that still sat on one of the dressers. It was in the shape of a pyramid and had his name etched into the center. It was a gift given to him for his one-year anniversary at the FBI. And while Aaron pretended to be removed from sentimentality, he considered that small plaque to be one of his prized possessions. Obviously, Haley hadn't thrown it out yet. 

His eyes settled on the floor of the room where there was blood soaked into the carpet. Someone had been dragged into the room and they were obviously mortally wounded. That amount of blood usually signifies a corpse, not a living body. Taking another step in, he suddenly saw two black boots laying crooked on the carpet. Taking another step forward, he realized those boots were attached to two legs. Now, Hotchner couldn't hear anything. Not his heart beating in his ears, not the buzzing of the lightbulb overhead, not the sound of the creaking floorboards. 

He dreaded taking another step forward to see who the legs belonged to. But he had to know.

Quickly, he lunged forward, gun aimed at the body. He felt his knees give out from under him and he had to grab the bed frame for support. 

There, lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood, was George Foyet. He had three bullet wounds in his chest. Hotchner leaned down to check for a pulse on Foyet's wrist and found nothing. He threw the dead man's arm back down in disgust. He holstered his gun again. 

"Haley?" he yelled, "Jack? It's me. Foyet is dead." Hotchner called out, searching the bathroom and under the bed. "Guys?" His heart was still pounding and adrenaline was still rushing through his veins. But now he knew that Foyet was dead, and a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. 

A sudden thought hit him: what if Foyet had killed them, then killed himself? No, that isn't possible. Foyet would have waited to see Hotchner's reaction to his dead wife and son before killing himself. If he was going to kill himself, he would have shot himself in the head and not three times in the chest. So, if he had shot Haley, then she must have been able to fight back and shoot the Reaper herself. Aaron knew that that scenario was entirely possible; after all, Haley was the bravest woman he had ever met. 

Suddenly, he heard movement from his old office. The sound of a closet door opening and papers rustling. "Aaron? Is that you?" his ex-wife called out. Hotchner strode across the hallway, reaching the study as Haley and Jack tumbled out of the closet. "Oh my god, Aaron," Haley breathed, tears streaking down her face. Her hands were covered in blood and some had stained Jack's shirt. Hotchner scooped up his son, cradling the boy in his arms. 

"Oh thank god you're okay. Christ, you scared me." Hotchner said, hugging his son in his arms. Never again would he miss a weekend with Jack. Never again would he cancel on dinner just to stay late and do paperwork. At that moment, he heard a rush of motion downstairs. "We're up here, everyone's okay," he called out. Morgan and JJ were suddenly at the door, relief painted across their face. "Jack, I want you to go with Miss JJ outside, okay?" Hotchner said, handing his son over. JJ nodded and took Jack outside, maneuvering carefully so he wouldn't see the body in the bedroom or the countless men with guns storming the house. 

Hotchner turned to Haley, who was still shaking. She was leaning against the closet door, a hand over her heart. "Aaron, I--" 

He didn't let her finish. He scooped the woman into his arms like he had the day the got married. He pressed her head into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, tucking his chin over her head. She began to sob, clutching his shirt. He didn't say anything; he just let her cry. He slid to the floor with her as her legs gave out. She pulled away to look up at him. 

"I-I grabbed the gun from him when he was behind me and shot him in the chest but he just kept coming because he had that vest on, you know? So I ran upstairs but he followed me and somehow I got the vest off of him and then I just shot him and I kept shooting and--" 

"You did everything right. You did so good. You were so brave," Aaron told her, cutting her off. "This is my fault. I should've never kept hunting him. I should've left with you and Jack to protect you. I'm so, so sorry." He stopped, clearing his throat. "Haley, I'm sorry for everything." 

She looked up at him and knew what he meant. "We forgive you." 

They sat there, holding each other and crying until Morgan and Rossi came in to usher them towards an ambulance. They needed to be checked out, just in case. Haley saw Foyet's lifeless body covered in a black sheet being placed in the back of a police van, and she grabbed Aaron's hand and squeezed. He squeezed back. 

Jack was okay, thank goodness. He was just as smart as the two of them had hoped and knew what his dad meant when he said to "work the case." He was definitely going to need some type of therapy; seeing one's mother covered in blood and hearing gunshots in your home could mess up any kid. But for now, the family of three sat together in the back of an ambulance and enjoyed the gift of life. 

On the side of the yard, the rest of the team stood together and watched. "Yeah, Garcia, he's okay. They're all okay. We'll talk to you when we can," Prentiss said into her phone. She turned to the group. "They're going to be okay, right?" 

Rossi watched as Hotchner tucked an arm around Haley's waist as she held Jack in her lap. An EMS worker was wiping the boy's arm down with antiseptic wipes, cleaning up all traces of blood. "Yeah, they're going to be just fine."

"Well," Spencer said, "statistically, an event like this could easily traumatize a young child. He may need intensive therapy to get over this. Actually did you guys know that a good amount of serial killers are triggered by something awful in their past? I'm not saying that Jack will be a serial killer, but--" 

"Hey kid? Cool it down." Morgan said, nudging Reid on the shoulder. 

JJ smiled at the couple and took a deep breath. "C'mon, guys. Let's go back to HQ. We're going to have some major paperwork to do." The team made their way back to their vans, unclipping their bulletproof vests. Rossi caught Hotchner's eye as the team was leaving and nodded at his friend. Hotchner nodded back. 

Aaron took a week off of work after the incident. He needed to stay home with his family and recover from the situation. Obviously, staying at the old house was out of the question. So, Haley let him stay over at her new place. For the first few nights, the three of them slept in the same bed, Jack tucked between the two of them. Then, Jack moved back to his own bed. Hotchner did not. They kept the door bolted shut and a gun on the nightstand. At Haley's request, Aaron pushed a table in front of the door for extra protection. He knew it wouldn't do much good if anyone did try to get in, but it made Haley feel better. So, he did it.

One night, after a dinner of pizza and ice cream (Jack's choice), the couple was sitting on the couch in the living room. Jack was upstairs, already in his bed. "Should we talk about this?" Haley asked, breaking the silence. Hotchner set down his glass of water and cleared his throat.

"What do you mean?" He replied, avoiding her gaze. She frowned at him and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, I know what you mean. And I get it. I can pack up my things and head back to my apartment tomorrow evening. I need to go back to work soon, anyway." 

Haley tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Actually, that's not what I was going to suggest." Now it was Hotchner's turn to raise an eyebrow. She sat up on the couch and looked at him intensely. "I know a lot has happened between us. We were together, and then we got divorced, and then we almost died. But a near-death experience tends to change some things. And it made me realize how much we need each other. If you're willing to try, then I'm willing to try." 

Hotchner leaned forward too, looking intently at his ex-wife. "Haley, what are you saying?" 

"It's not going to be easy and both of us have to be committed to it. We'll probably need couples therapy and God knows what else. But what I'm saying is that if you want, I wouldn't mind if we tried again. I don't think moving back in right away is a good idea. But maybe we can start small?" 

Hotchner sat back against the couch, momentarily dumbfounded. Then, he sat forward again and took Haley's hands in his own. "Haley, do you want to go on a date with me?" She smiled in response and nodded. He smiled back and stood up, grabbing his jacket from behind him. "I'll pick you up Saturday at five. I'll ask Garcia if she wants to babysit." She stood up and walked him to the door, seeing him out. Before he left, he gave her hand one more tight squeeze. Then, he headed to his car and back to his apartment across town. 

Things would never be the same after their encounter with pure evil. But things didn't have to stay bad, either. And for the first time in a long time, Aaron Hotchner had hope for the future.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this DIRECTLY after watching s5e9 because I was deep in my feels and had to get it all out. Please let me know what you think!!


End file.
